Someone Like You
by AdeleIsMyLife
Summary: After rejecting Kevin's proposal, he helps her see who she is really in love with. Will this be Pen's happily ever after?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! Here's my latest creation, I hope you like it!**

Penelope Garcia felt awful. Absolutely, positively, truthfully, awful. She could feel the weight of rejecting Kevin's proposal on her shoulders, and she was definitely down in the dumps. She hated to hurt him, but she wasn't ready for marriage yet. She stayed busy with her job and barely found enough time for herself, much less a _husband._

She hadn't heard from Kevin in days, and was determined to talk with him. She needed to explain her reasoning behind this, and assure him she wasn't completely against marriage. Who knew what the future could bring? Perhaps in a few years' time, she would be ready to tie the knot with Kevin. Right now however, she was content with their simple relationship. Why add complexities to it?

After quickly getting ready, Pen drove over to Kevin's apartment. He'd turned his phone off since the rejection, and Pen knew she needed to talk with him desperately. She hadn't a clue where they stood in their relationship anymore. If she waited any longer, the situation would only turn more awkward and hurtful. She knew she didn't want that.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door. She'd been here a thousand times, but the circumstances were different. Sometimes she'd bake him cookies and bring them over. Other times, he would call and invite her to his place for dinner. She would gladly accept, and they'd spend hours talking code and other computer functions. It was their common ground.

But this time was different as Kevin opened the door. He didn't say a word; he simply stepped aside for Pen to come in. He'd been expecting and dreading this conversation as much as she had, and they needed to get it over with.

"Hi," Pen said.

"Hey," he replied.

"I was hoping you'd come over afterward, but you didn't," she said. "I tried calling you, but your phone is shut off. I wasn't sure where I stood with you so I came over to see."

"I think you know the answer to your question better than I do."

"Kev, I never meant to hurt you by saying no. I'm just not ready for that next big step. We can barely keep up our weekly date nights, and I think marriage would only create more problems for us. It isn't that I don't love you or want to be with you anymore, I do. But this isn't the right time for me. I'm sorry."

He hung his head. "I'm sorry too. I don't mean to be taking this so hard, but I expected you to say yes. I'd always imagined that moment a happy one, and I was shocked it took a different turn."

Pen stayed silent because she didn't know what to say. She was afraid she'd only hurt him more if she replied. Finally, Kevin spoke:

"Over the last few days, I've been doing some thinking. I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you need to. I think it's your real reason for saying no."

Pen started to speak but Kevin stopped her. "Hear me out Penelope. I've learned a thing or two about you in the last three years. I know you sleep in on the weekends like a teenager, and you refuse to wake up until noon. I've learned your natural hair color is dark brown, but you dye your hair to feel closer to your mother. She was a natural blonde."

Pen simply stared, wondering where he was going with this. She'd told him no because she wasn't ready, hadn't she? Was there another reason? Or was Kevin just lecturing her?

"But something I've begun to notice about you in the last months," Kevin continued. "Is that you're in love with Derek Morgan. Don't try to deny it because it's true. I've seen the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. Heck, you say his name in your sleep all the time."

"Kevin you're wrong," Pen interrupted. "Derek is my best friend! We've always been close, but what you're saying…"

"Pen," Kevin said. "If Derek asked you to marry him tomorrow, you'd be in the church ready to go by nine o'clock. Somehow, you've been hiding your true feelings from yourself, but you need to embrace them. You might not think Derek loves you back, but trust me, he does."

"How would you know?" Pen whispered, realization dawning on her.

"Because when I told him I wanted to marry you, he almost looked sick. I overheard him telling Reid later he'd lost his chance. It doesn't take a genius to know he was referring to you."

Forgetting what role Kevin was playing in her life Pen asked: "What do I do? He'd never want that kind of relationship with me. How do I know you're not making this up?"

"Because I love you Penny," Kevin said, taking her hands in his. "I want you to be happy, and I know that can't happen with me. You belong with Derek."

Pen smiled at him. "Thanks Kevin. You're the genuine article, you know that?"

He returned the smile. "I'll come by and get my things later. Good luck with Derek."

"Good luck to you too," Pen said. "Someday, you're going to find the right girl for you Kev. And she's going to be super lucky."

With that said, Pen quickly said goodbye and made a beeline to Derek's place. She had to tell him the truth before she chickened out altogether.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review me! : ) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who took time to review the first chapter. I hope this lives up to your expectations! **

Pen's heart was in her mouth as she drove over to Derek's. Should she be doing this? Was she ready to admit how she felt? Would Derek listen? Her mind held a thousand questions, but her heart had no answers.

She parked outside his building and took several breaths to calm herself. Why was she freaking out so badly? It was only Derek; he'd been her best friend for years. Hadn't she talked with him about her dating problems in the past? Didn't he ask for her advice on a few women back in the day?

_But that was someone else, and this is you and him, _a voice whispered inside her head. Of course. This was the most personal Pen planned on going with Derek so far. For her, talking about the death of her parents or estranged brothers was nothing. Confessing her hidden love was everything. His reaction would determine whether her heart would break or be super glued together.

The memory of the night she was shot came to the front of her mind then. Why didn't she take him seriously when he told her he loved her? Didn't he realize she was serious about the way she felt too?

The 'kinda' love in Alaska was bogus. Their feelings ran deeper than that. They both thought they knew the other well, but did they? Pen and Derek couldn't see they were in love with one another all these years. How could they claim to be best friends, when it'd taken Kevin to point it out?

She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding as she knocked on his door. She could hear Clooney barking, and saw the front blinds move as he checked to see who it was.

He opened the door with a big smile. "Baby Girl! I didn't know you were coming over!"

"I know its short notice, but can we talk? I need to tell you something," Pen quickly spit out. She could not lose her nerve. She'd come this far, and she was telling him. It was a now or never situation.

He motioned for her to come in and sit with him on the couch. "What's up?"

"I've decided not to marry Kevin," Pen started. "To be honest, I don't think marriage is the way to go in our relationship. It just wouldn't work out."

"Oh," Derek said. "Was Lynch okay with it?"

"Not at first. He's been really upset for the last few days. I went to talk to him today though, and we smoothed things out nicely. It's all water under the bridge now."

"That's good to know. Are the two of you still together?"

"No. We mutually decided to go our separate ways.

Derek seemed to be at a loss for words. "If that's what you wanted then I'm happy for you," he said.

"With Kevin, it was exactly what I wanted. But I don't plan on keeping my single status for long." Pen said, avoiding his eyes.

"Oh really? Crushing on someone new?" Derek teased.

"You could say that," Pen replied, a sudden boost in confidence surprising her. "But I think I passed the 'crush' stage long ago."

Pen could almost see the color drain from his face. Was Kevin right? Did Derek have feelings for her?

"Who's the lucky man? Do I know him?" Derek asked. He was trying to keep emotion out of his voice.

Pen gave him a small smile. "I'd say you know him well."

His eyebrows shot up. "It's not Hotch, Rossi, or Reid, is it?"

Pen laughed. "No, they're all like brothers to me. This guy could never consider me a sisterly figure to him."

Derek seemed to be thinking hard. Pen wanted to say: _Hot Stuff it's so obvious who it is. Can't you tell I love you?_

She kept silent and Derek finally said: "Can you tell me now? I'd really like to know who he is."

"Well," Pen said. "He likes to call me Baby Girl all the time."

**A/N: Ooh, a cliffhanger! What will happen next? You'll have to show me how much you wanna know by pressing the review button! Thanks for reading! : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Long time, no see huh? I've been struggling with writer's block on this particular story for a while, and I am glad to say I am finally coming out of it! Here's chapter three! : )**

Pen counted the seconds it took that statement to compute in Derek's head. Nine and a half to be exact, and his expression was of pure shock and disbelief. "Me?" he sputtered.

"Who else?" she asked. "I don't exactly have a line of men following me around calling me by that particular pet name. Though that would be nice. Especially if they all looked like you."

Derek was still struggling to wrap his head around it. "May I ask when exactly you came to this conclusion? You nearly married another man Penelope."

She decided to knock off the flirty remarks for the time being. "Honestly, Kevin had to point it out to me. I guess I always knew you meant the world and back to me, but I… never realized how deep those feelings went. You're practically my whole life Derek."

He couldn't help but smile. "That damn Lynch," he said. "I never did like him much, but I'm glad he helped you see how you felt."

Pen paused for a minute and cocked her head at him. "What about you, Hot Stuff? How do you feel about it?"

"About you?" he asked and she nodded. "I think I've made my intentions clear in the past."

That was partially true, discluding the times when the team went out for drinks and Derek danced with every girl in the place. And the whole Tamara Barnes incident. But there was also that memory of Alaska and the night she was shot. All the times he'd acted overprotective of her before she went on another date. The movie nights at his place with popcorn fights…

Her thoughts must've registered on her face because Derek quickly said: "Well somewhat. But yes, I feel the same way you do."

"That's a relief," she said smiling. "All these years I kept my feelings to myself because I didn't know if you felt the same way or not. I'm so glad you do."

"Baby Girl," Derek said. "I love you. Did you think I was lying all those times when I told you that? I gave you many opportunities to come clean to me about your feelings. I figured when you started dating Lynch, you were trying to tell me you were only interested in friendship between us."

Pen felt realization dawn on her. That whole night she was shot, him sleeping on the couch, saving her life, telling her he loved her…That was how he'd made his move? Thinking back, Pen thought it was semi romantic and very sweet.

"I just…I thought you were only telling me that because I'd nearly died," she explained. "When you nearly lose someone, it stirs up emotions inside you like that."

Derek shook his head. "Penelope Garcia, what have we been doing all these years?"

"Being cowards, Derek Morgan," Pen said. "As close as we were, you'd think we would've talked about it."

"We're talking about it now," Derek said leaning in to kiss her. He loved that he now had that right. Before she had a boyfriend and there were friendship boundaries, but this was different. The start of something new and right. Derek couldn't wait.

He pulled back. "Let me treat you to dinner tonight, woman. You deserve it."

Her heart skipped a beat at spending more time with Derek. "What did you have in mind, Hot Stuff?"

He brushed a fallen curl out of her face. "Dinner at that upscale Mexican place on the other side of town. I hear their food is delicious, and then maybe a walk in the park. If it's not too late, of course. There might be a case tomorrow."

She grinned. "Sounds great. Let me get ready. I have a dress and some makeup in my car."

Derek kissed her again and felt another electric shock run through his body. He wondered if her feelings were that intense too when they kissed or touched. Finally, reluctantly, he let her go fetch her dress and makeup. They were both definitely ready for a night of fun and togetherness.

**A/N: I'm planning to write a short epilogue after this chapter, and then this story will be a wrap! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Review me! : ) **


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